Help with History: First use of 1/4 inch wide spool and spiderweb

[colby sorrells]

Need some help. Anyone got an idea when the first tournament casting reel with the 1/4 inch wide spool and spiderweb line (some called it angle hair) was used in a 5/8 oz. distance casting tournament event? I can find some references to about 1953 but not much before that. ABU, Shakespeare, Langley and individuals made reels with these super narrow spools often made of magnesium (Orca Reel News, March 1997, Jay Klenk). The line was super small silk that was sold 20,000 or 24,000 yards to the ounce and is truly like spiderweb. Period casters got up to 500 feet distance, and some over, using these reels and line in the Unrestricted category of casting tournaments. Thanks for the help. Keepin' It Fun! Colby

[kyreels]

Many of the tournament casters we have talked to used the term Silk (including Bill Burke), but every spool I have examined from their boxes are Rayon (patented in 1932). The recent Cliff Netherton box had some of the same thread which appears to be Rayon.

I have the early Reel from Bud Zoellner, a louisville tournament caster who appeared on the cover of the Sutcliffe's catalog in 1943 and won many of the distance casting tournaments in the younger age bracket. Robert Budd of Louisville was also casting and winning distance (and accuracy) tournaments in the 40's. I do not yet have any concrete information to share, but I believe that these reels were being used in tournaments in the 40s. Rayon was certainly common then. I have many of the spools, and they are all Rayon, not to say that Silk was never used, but I have never seen evidence of it.

Bud Zoellner's handmade Tripart reel was noticed by Al Foss, who took him under his wing and then made one of the premier 3-25 narrow Spiderwire tournament reels of the time, which was purchased by Jim Frazier in 1985 and then went to Mike Sims of the NFLCC. I think this reel was done in the 1940's, but can't yet find the article in the Gazette that Jim wrote about it.

I think that we could do some more research and nail down the date. It very well could be that it was used in the 30's.


Matt Wickham
Collector of Casting Weights and KY Reels and Tackle

[colby sorrells]

Thanks Matt,
My guess is 1937-1939, but no hard facts just yet. And I'm pretty sure it was used at the San Francisco National in 1939. I'm waiting on some information that will shed a little more light on a possible date.

How can you tell it's Rayon? Does it burn a certain way or can you see it under a microscope? Rayon certainly makes sense because they went from 7,400 to 18,000 to 24,000 yards per ounce and I don't see how they could have perfected silk over time but certainly they improved Rayon throughout the years. Also I would think pure silk would have been very expensive.

But I'm pretty sure they started out with silk! The information I've got coming talks about silk. I'll update once received.

Thanks again Matt. Keepin' It Fun!

Colby

[Willis Logan]

Colby

The information you are providing will be appreciated by future collectors. Thanks!

[kyreels]

The main reason I know the material is Rayon is that the Rayon spools with wooden bobins have Rayon stamped into the wood. The photo included above is from United Rayon Mills, which I thought was more obvious, but in looking at the photo it is hard to read. The other common way you can identify line is a burn test. Using a lighter and info from an internet search of thread identification, we have:

• Rayon - a manufactured cellulose fiber. It burns without flame or melting and may flare up.
  Unless there is a fabric finish, it doesn't leave any bead. After the flame is removed, it may glow a bit longer than cotton. It smells like burning paper and leaves soft, gray ash. It's smoke is a little hazardous.
  
  Silk - a protein fiber which burns slowly and curls away from the flame. It leaves a dark bead which can be easily crushed. It is self-extinguishing and leaves ash that is a dark, gritty, fine powder. It smells like burned hair or charred meat. It gives out little or no smoke and the fume has no hazard.

I have always thought that tackle collectors need to adopt more techniques from archeology. Really. We all rip apart tackle boxes and separate out the contents, selling what we don't want and putting the rest into glass cases. There is no context left. We should be better able to answer your question, but all of the tournament boxes scattered everywhere from 1930s that contain all the bobbins and thread, tend to get disassembled. But the flame test tells me that every bobbin I have (I have around 30 without counting) is Rayon. But mine are only from a couple casters.

Anyone with one of these reels can do a quick test and report the results to you. I don't think Silk was commonly used, but again, everyone SAYS Silk. Its just a common term for thin strong shinny thread.

[colby sorrells]

Great stuff Matt. So based on that we may have a start of use date sometime quickly after 1932 when Rayon first appeared! We're getting there. Thanks for the post. We can now all check based on the burn test. I've got some I'll check and report back. Thanks again.

Willis, you know I love the history.

Colby

[kyreels]

Now that I am burning my own lines, I am not so sure some are not silk. I get dark beads. Maybe United Rayon Mills made silk. Gotta do more testing myself I guess.

[colby sorrells]

Matt, The extra spool of spiderweb I just got seems to be Rayon by the burn. I'll send you some so you can compare. I haven't tested what's on reel yet. Colby

[kyreels]

Well, I just received my copy of the Whitefish Press History of the Sport of Casting The NAACC Years, 1939-1960. This is the lost third volume of the 3 volume history that Dr. Todd Larson published when Cliff couldn't find a cost-effective way to do it. Everyone should get this book that is at all interested in tournament reels. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-BOOK-Histor ... SwMmBVrFFD

In any case, right there on page 45 it reprints an article from the San Francisco Call-Bulletin August 1939 where it describes the new reel invented by Walter Willman casting for Kansas City Club wherein 14 competitors in the 1939 NASAC National blew away all the old distance records using his improvement. It is described as a 1/4 inch spool weighing 20 grains and holding up to 1000 feet of (silk*) line.

In a related article on the tournament from Sports Afield in Jan 1940 also touts the new spools and line as having the characteristics of 10,000 yards per ounce and the spools capable of 30,000 RPMs.

So we know that the use of these spools in National Tournaments occurred no later than 1939 and probably not before, since the records were all shattered. It may be that Walter used them earlier. I guess I have to now find a Willman reel.

Think that Warren Platt should go through all his KC material and educate us on Walter. He sounds facinating.

I guess I concede that some of the line could have been silk in the early days, but am still in the process of trying to find some that is not Rayon. It may be that the casters switched to Rayon at some point.

[colby sorrells]

Thanks Matt,
It certainly appears 1939 was the year the spiderweb reels and line made their big splash. I have three different sources that give Willman the nod as the person responsible for discovering the reels and line. But there is also one big source (Netherton) that seems to not give him the credit. Got more research to do yet. The three Netherton books are well worth every cent they cost and a big THANK YOU to Todd Larson for publishing the third edition for all of us. GET A COPY! Keepin' It Fun.

Colby